The Reelin signaling pathway in mouse cortical development

Most of the cerebral cortex derives from the cortical plate which, in all m ammals, is radially organized and develops from inside to outside. Several genes involved in the organization and inside-outside development of the em bryonic cortical plate in the mouse form the so-called Reelin signaling pat hway. Biochemical and genetic arguments show that the extracellular matrix protein Reelin binds to two lipoprotein receptors (VLDLR and ApoER2), which relay the Reelin signal inside target neurons by docking the tyrosine kina se adapter disabled-1 (Dab1). In addition, biochemical evidence suggests th at the integrins alpha3/beta1 and protocadherins of the CNR family may also modulate the Reelin signal. The mechanisms by which the presence of Reelin stops migration and instructs the radial organization of cortical plate ce lls remains unknown.